The Daily News subscribers get full access to more than13
million names and addresses along with powerful search and download features.
Get the business leads you need with powerful searches of public records and notices.
Download listings into your spreadsheet or database.

Shelby County commission chairman Justin Ford is running for Memphis Mayor in 2015.

Ford announced his intention to challenge Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. Monday, Feb. 9, joining former county commissioner James Harvey, city council member Jim Strickland, and former University of Memphis basketball player Detric Golden in the growing field.

Shelby County commissioners delayed a vote Monday, Feb. 9, on a shift of county capital funds for the Lakeland Schools System to allow the school system to use it to buy land for the new Lakeland Prep grades 6-12 school being planned.

Shelby County commissioners delayed a vote Monday, Feb. 9, on a shift of county capital funds for the Lakeland Schools System to allow the school system to use it to buy land for the new Lakeland Prep grades 6-12 school being planned.

Nobody running for election on the Oct. 8 ballot can even pull a qualifying petition to get on the ballot until April, yet February is shaping up as the month when it is determined what kind of challenge and how many challengers incumbent Mayor A C Wharton Jr. will face.

There was a lot of moving around in Shelby County government in 2014, much of it the literal kind as the Vasco Smith County Administration Building was remodeled.

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell got new offices in the renovation and the Shelby County Commission chambers got an upgrade as well with the commission offices and committee room moving from the fourth floor to the sixth floor.

Jamie M. Johnson has joined the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law as law school registrar.

In her new role, Johnson will have direct oversight of the registrar’s office and duties relating to enrollment verification, managing student’s academic records, and ensuring the accuracy, integrity, maintenance and delivery of all law school institutional data. Johnson will also work closely with the dean of academic affairs to administer exams, determine class rank and report grades.

Memphis police could make more arrests in the Poplar Plaza mob attack, but investigators believe they have the teenagers who started the riot on the parking lot of the Kroger supermarket Saturday, Sept. 6, that injured three people.

The first thing Veronica Coleman-Davis wanted to do was take a look at where thousands of untested rape kits had been stored over the last 30 years.

The former U.S. attorney is investigating how the backlog came to be. It’s an effort that, until her appointment in February by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr., had been pointed at clearing the backlog with no answers from any of the players in the criminal justice system about how the backlog happened in the first place.

The National Geographic Society wants to create an interactive media geotourism project that guides visitors on journeys they can coordinate up and down the length of the Mississippi River.

Jim Dion, coordinator of the Geotourism Map Guides division of National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations, has been in Memphis this week, meeting with local and regional tourism leaders and possible donors to the effort.

The Greater Memphis Chamber will host a conversation with Bill Strickland, CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corp. and author of “Making the Impossible, Possible,” Wednesday, Aug. 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Peabody, 149 Union Ave. Strickland’s topic is “The Art of Leadership & The Business of Social Change.” Cost is $35 for members and $40 for nonmembers. Visit memphischamber.com or call 543-3571.

Playhouse on the Square will present a Great Wine Performances wine tasting and theater contest Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Playhouse, 66 S. Cooper St. Characters from “Les Miserables” will serve 10 French wines and tests attendees’ knowledge of the musical for prizes. Cost is $65 at the door. Visit playhouseonthesquare.org.

Priscilla Williams has joined Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South as director of marketing and special events. In her new role, Williams will work to increase the organization’s visibility, funding and branding.

Dr. Howard Scott has been named chief medical officer at Methodist South Hospital. Before joining Methodist South, which is part of the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system, Scott served as chief medical officer for West Kendall Baptist Hospital in Miami. He has also maintained an active private practice for 29 years.

And all 12 of the Memphis City Council members seeking re-election won new four year terms in the city election cycle, marking the largest return of incumbents to the 13-member council in the 43-year history of the mayor-council form of government.

The crowds are small and the questions familiar. The forums for candidates on the Oct. 6 Memphis ballot, in other words, are a lot like past forums.

There were about 25 people in the audience Monday evening, Sept. 19, for the League of Women Voters City Council forum at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library in East Memphis that featured seven candidates for super district seats.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Trying to make up lost time, President Barack Obama plunged back into the search for money for his re-election campaign Wednesday with a coast-to-coast series of parties marking his 50th birthday after he was forced to cancel fundraisers because of the debt-ceiling crisis.

Four incumbent Memphis City Council members and all three incumbent City Court Judges were effectively re-elected at the Thursday, July 21, noon deadline for candidates to file their qualifying petitions for the Oct. 6 Memphis ballot.

A flurry of last-minute filings came at the noon Thursday, July 21, deadline for candidates in the Oct. 6 Memphis elections to turn in their qualifying petitions.

Shelby County Election Commission staffers were still checking the signatures on the petitions filed Thursday to make sure those signing were voters and lived in the districts they signed for or the city in the case of the citywide races.

Two weeks ago, Shelby County commissioners were about evenly split on the idea that county personnel policy should prevent employees from “buying” paid leave to go Christmas shopping or get the leave as a reward for giving blood and supporting various charities.

Shelby County commissioners were short of the votes Monday to specifically prohibit county employees from getting paid leave for Christmas shopping days or in exchange for donating blood and other charity work.

The sensory system that reports information to the brain center for the Memphis Police Department’s Blue CRUSH initiative is about to be upgraded with new tools.

The high-tech gadgetry includes fixed license plate readers on interstate highways, 1,500 tracking bracelets for repeat offenders out on bond and neighborhood surveillance devices that can pinpoint the location of gunshots.

Interim County Mayor Joe Ford became the Democratic nominee for mayor in the August county general elections Tuesday night.

And the August sheriff’s race will be a contest between Democrat Randy Wade and Republican Randy Wade.

All three were among the winners in Tuesday’s low turnout county primaries.

Approximately ten percent of Shelby County’s nearly 600,000 voters cast ballots in early voting and election day polling.

Ford, who was appointed interim mayor in December, beat County Commissioner Deidre Malone and General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson in the Democratic primary. He will face Republican Mark Luttrell who had only token opposition in the Republican primary from perennial contender Ernie Lunati.

Luttrell has raised more money than all three of the Democratic primary contenders combined and began running television ads in the last week runup to election day.

The final unofficial totals in the Democratic mayoral primary are:

Ford 20,360 57%

Malone 12,916 37%

Jackson 2,168 6%

The pair of primaries for Sheriff featured eight candidates, seven of whom either currently work for the sheriff’s department or are past employees. Only Reginald French, in the Democratic primary was not a former or current department official.

Wade was the 2002 Democratic nominee, losing to Luttrell who is leaving as Sheriff after serving two terms. French was the Democratic nominee in the 2006 elections.

Oldham is Luttrell’s chief deputy, the number two position in the department. He is also a former director of the Memphis Police Department.

Voters in the primary elections decided to return six Shelby County commissioners to new four year terms with Tuesday’s results. They also elected six new commissioners. The winner of the thirteenth commission seat will be decided on the August general election ballot in a contest between district 5 Democratic incumbent Steve Mulroy and Republican challenger Dr. Rolando Toyos. The winner of the match up will determine whether the commission remains majority Democrat or goes majority Republican.

In the remaining ten contests, the primaries decided who gets the seats since no one ran in the opposing party’s primary.

The most hotly contested contest among the commission races was for District 4 Position 1. Outgoing Probate Court Clerk Chris Thomas beat John Pellicciotti, appointed to a commission seat last year but running for a different position in the same district. Jim Bomprezzi, the former mayor of Lakeland, was the third contender in the contest.

The final unofficial totals in the Republican primary:

Thomas 7,631 52%

Pellicciotti 4,871 33%

Bomprezzi 2,298 15%

In position 2 of the same district incumbent Republican Wyatt Bunker easily overcame two challengers with former Lakeland alderman John Wilkerson finishing second and Ron Fittes finishing third.

Millington businessman Terry Roland claimed the third position in the district that takes in all six of Shelby County’s suburban towns and cities.

Roland beat George Chism to take the seat Pellicciotti was appointed to but opted not to run for in deference to Roland.

Heidi Shafer, an aide to outgoing County Commissioner George Flinn, claimed Flinn’s District 1 Position 2 seat over Albert Maduska.in the GOP primary.

In the Democratic commission primaries, Melvin Burgess claimed Malone’s District 2 Position 3 seat in a field of six contenders. His closest contender was Reginald Milton. Burgess, a city school system audit manager, had run for the seat before. He brought in 54 percent of the vote.

The other hard fought Democratic commission primary saw Justin Ford, son of the interim mayor, claim his father’s District 3 Position 3 seat.

Ford beat Edith Moore, a retired IBM executive, whom the commission appointed to the seat after the elder Ford became mayor.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Ford 7,342 66%

Moore 3,822 34%

Democratic incumbent commissioners Henri Brooks, Sidney Chism and James Harvey were all re-elected over primary challengers.

The county-wide primaries for seven clerk’s positions saw the return of former Criminal Court Clerk Minerva Johnican 16 years after Republican challenger Bill Key took her job. Johnican decisively beat Ralph White and Vernon Johnson in her first bid for office since the 1994 defeat. She will face Republican Kevin Key, the son of Bill Key in the August general election.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Johnican 16,381 51%

White 10,170 31%

Johnson 5,954 18%

Former Juvenile Court Clerk Shep Wilbun easily won the Democratic primary with 76 percent of the vote to face Republican Joy Touliatos in August for the office being vacated by Republican Steve Stamson. Touliatos was unopposed in the primary.

Aside from Leatherwood, Jimmy Moore is the only other of the seven clerks seeking re-election. Moore ran unopposed in the GOP primary. He will face Democrat Ricky Dixon in August.

Trustee Regina Newman was appointed to her office following the death last year of Paul Mattila. Newman easily overcame M LaTroy Williams in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. She will face David Lenoir, who beat former Shelby County Commissioner John Willingham in the Republican contest.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Lenoir 15,922 58%

Willingham 11,569 42%

The other six candidate field on the ballot was in the Democratic primary for Probate Court Clerk. Sondra Becton posted impressive vote totals over her rivals, bringing in 35 percent of the vote with Peggy Dobbins her closest rival. Becton, who is making her fourth bid for the office, will face Republican Paul Boyd, who ran unopposed in his primary.

The closest contest of the evening was in the Democratic primary for County Clerk. Wrestling promoter and television personality Corey Maclin won his political debut by less than 1,400 votes over Charlotte Draper and LaKeith Miller. He will face Republican Wayne Mashburn who beat Steve Moore in the companion primary.

Early voting in advance of the Aug. 5 election day begins July 16. The August ballot will also feature state and federal primary elections including the statewide primaries for governor and the primaries for all nine of the state’s Congressional districts.

Early voting opens Wednesday in advance of the May 4 Shelby County primaries – not a moment too soon in the County Commission primary race that has generated the most political heat.

Shelby County commissioner John Pellicciotti and Probate Court clerk Chris Thomas squared off at Monday’s commission meeting. Both are running in the GOP primary for the District 4 Position 1 commission seat.

Meanwhile, the Democratic primary for mayor grew to three contenders as General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson filed his qualifying petition just before the deadline. He joins interim County Mayor Joe Ford and Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone.

Luttrell ruled out a bid for Shelby County mayor last year (2009). But when Harold Byrd decided not to run in the Democratic primary, some local GOP leaders asked Luttrell to reconsider.

The result touched off a scramble of candidates from both parties for the open sheriff’s office. But before the noon deadline, the initial field of over a dozen possible contenders was narrowed to ten – six Democrats and four Republicans.

The other surprise at the filing deadline was the return of attorney Walter Bailey to the District 2 Position 1 seat he gave up in the 2006 elections. Bailey sought re-election then to another term despite a two term limit on commissioners. Bailey lost to J.W. Gibson who decided not to seek re-election. He also lost a court fight to overturn the term limits.

Bailey was the only candidate who had filed for the seat at the Thursday deadline.

Only one incumbent county commissioner – Republican Mike Ritz -- was effectively re-elected at the deadline because he had no opposition.

All but one of the eleven contested County Commission races will be decided with the May 4 primaries. The only general election battle for the August ballot is the district 5 contest between GOP challenger Dr. Rolando Toyos and whoever wins the May Democratic primary between incumbent Steve Mulroy and Jennings Bernard.

Former County Commissioner John Willingham also returned to the ballot among a field of Republican contenders in the primary for Shelby County Trustee.

And former Criminal Court Clerk Minerva Johnican joined the Democratic primary field for her old job. Incumbent Republican Bill Key pulled petition to seek re-election but did not file at the deadline.

Here is the list of races and contenders from The Shelby County Election Commission. All candidate have until noon Feb. 25 to withdraw from the ballot if they wish.

Bids are due at the end of this week from companies that can deliver a new high-tech device to the Memphis Police Department that will help officers keep an eye on criminal offenders.

The product is a one-piece ankle bracelet that will be attached to repeat offenders once they’re released from jail. The city has set aside $2 million in federal money to pay for the first year of the project, which reflects MPD’s continued shift toward more data and statistics to aid in crime fighting.

Dr. Matthew A. Dress has joined Pathology Group of the MidSouth PC as its newest pathologist.

Before joining Pathology Group of the MidSouth, Dress served as the chief resident in anatomic and clinical pathology at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Tennessee. He then completed a fellowship in hematopathology at the University of Rochester Medical Center-Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y.

Before candidates take their quests for elected office to the public, they usually give them a road test before other politicos – allies and adversaries – to see if this is really what they want to do for the next year or so.

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners’ vote on a development agreement for Bass Pro Shops at The Pyramid will probably be close Monday if this week’s vote by a committee is any indication.

Monday’s vote will make or break the plan to lease The Pyramid to the hunting and fishing retailer. The one-year development agreement to precede a lease goes to the 13-member body with a negative recommendation from the commission’s Economic Development & Tourism Committee.

One of the two Memphis legislators sponsoring a bill that would keep the Shelby County charter much the same as it is now said he put the legislation in the hopper in Nashville because of fears the Shelby County Board of Commissioners would become deadlocked.

Shelby County Board of Commissioners member Sidney Chism had been talking for months about the county washing its hands of its minority ownership share in The Pyramid. It was his way of expressing his frustration with what he sees as the micromanagement by some on the commission of talks to find a use for the vacant arena.

When Brad Fain of Prosperity International looked at the Memphis riverfront around The Pyramid recently, he saw something that wasn't there. But he also missed a key part of the mental landscape.

Fain's Orlando investment company is one of the two out-of-town financial partners in the Ericson Group's $250 million plan to turn The Pyramid into Pyramid Adventure theme park and develop Mud Island park as well as other parts of the riverfront. The other is Essex Investment Partners of New York.

Shelby County Commissioners have taken at least a temporary step back from a construction contractor whose name has surfaced in the most recent federal corruption investigation.

The two-week delay this week in approving a $274,422 contract with Salton Cos. LLC came less than a week after former County Commissioner Bruce Thompson was indicted on federal extortion and mail fraud charges.

A Shelby County Board of Commissioners tiff over TIF (tax increment funding) wasn't completely settled by Monday's votes in favor of a set of four joint city-county measures.

The three resolutions and one ordinance, which was passed on the first of three readings, set the stage for a TIF zone on Highland Street south of Central Avenue - the University Neighborhood Development Corp. Highland Row Area.

On a day like today, years before their faces crinkled when they smiled, their paces had slowed considerably and they spoke with the soft, honeyed drawl of old men, they were a pair of tough, hardy U.S. Marines.

The Tennessee Real Estate Commission (TREC) has announced that David N. Truong from Crye-Leike's Quail Hollow office, 6525 Quail Hollow Road, has successfully passed the real estate broker licensure exam and has received his broker's license. Truong completed strict experience and education requirements, including 120 classroom hours of real estate education. He has been a real estate agent for four years in and around Shelby and DeSoto counties, where he specializes in all areas of real estate sales.

Mark Prestidge has been promoted to president of The Kroger Co.'s Delta Division. The Delta Division is based in Memphis and includes 111 Kroger stores in Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Prestidge succeeds Richard Tillman, who recently announced his retirement after a 42-year career with Kroger. Prestidge previously served as vice president of operations for Kroger's Southwest Division.

David F. Kustoff, the recently appointed U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, is settling in after almost a week on the job. President George W. Bush nominated Kustoff in February and the U.S. Senate confirmed him in mid-March to replace Terry Harris, who recently accepted a position as vice president for security for FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. As such, Harris is responsible for security operations throughout the company's global network.

Memphis mercantile maestro Paul Tudor Jones is about to pull off one of his greatest feats.

Saturday, some of the greatest...

64. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, July 12, 2000 Randall D Randall D. Noel was elected president of the Tennessee Legal Community Foundation during the annual meeting of the Tennessee Bar Association. Noel is a litigation partner with Armstrong Allen PLLC, where he has practiced 22 years. Colman B...

65. Archived Article: Comm Focus - Friday, March 10, 2000 NCCJ names honorees of 2000 Humanitarian Awards NCCJ names honorees of 2000 Humanitarian Awards Four well-known men who have contributed to Memphis in a variety of ways over the years have been selected as the recipients of the Year 2000 Humanitaria...

66. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, July 01, 1998 Donald H Donald H. Goldman has been named senior vice president and chief information officer at Master Graphics Inc. Goldman has been president of ConsultWare Inc., a Massachusetts graphic arts consulting firm, since 1981. He is a graduate of the R...

67. Archived Article: Calendar - Monday, March 17, 1997 March 17 March 17 The Institute of Management Accountants will meet at Union Planters, 6200 Poplar Ave. from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The seminar topic will be the Internet, and the presenter will be Dr. Larry Schmidt of Christian Brothers University. The c...